Farmers use bulk material trailers, referred to as xe2x80x9cgondolasxe2x80x9d, to transport harvested crops, such as grapes, from a field harvester to the edge of the field. The gondolas are then dumped into tanks on highway traveling trailers for transport to a processing facility, such as a winery. The gondola consists of an open top tank mounted on a trailer that has a tongue used to connect the trailer to a towing tractor. The gondola is also referred to as a bulk material trailer. The tractor tows the gondola alongside a crop harvester, having a crop dispensing conveyer that directs the harvested crop into the open top in the gondola. Such a gondola for harvesting wine grapes typically holds five to seven tons of grapes when it is filled. After the gondola is filled, the tractor tows it alongside the highway traveling trailer and the gondola is pivoted about a point on the crop collection trailer until the harvested contents are dumped into the highway traveling trailer. To provide clearance for dumping the harvested crop into the highway-traveling trailer the gondola pivot point is necessarily a considerable distance off of the ground and to one side of the gondola trailer. The gondola-towing tractor provides power, typically hydraulic power, for positioning the crop collection tank thereon between a lowered crop collecting position and a raised dumping position.
Current gondola designs tend to tip during the dumping process, because of the necessity for lifting the crop collection tank to a position six to seven feet above the ground and thereafter dumping the collected crop over the side of the bulk material trailer. Currently, stainless steel and painted mild steel tanks are used to collect crops. Mild steel tanks tend to rust because the collected crops, such as wine grapes, can be acidic. Further, stainless steel tanks are quite expensive, difficult to fabricate and also difficult to repair. Painted, mild steel tanks need to be stripped of their paint and repainted approximately every four to six years. This is also an expensive process.
Highway traveling trailers must have controlled transport weight. If the highway traveling trailer is under loaded, money is lost in the transport phase of the process. If the highway traveling trailer is over loaded, the hauler towing the highway trailer is subject to fines and delays at highway weight checkpoints. Simply controlling the fill volume in the highway traveling trailer is not an accurate way to control the weight of the crop being hauled, because crop weight per unit volume varies widely. With many crops, such as grapes, the water and sugar content of the crop varies. Scales in the field are not a practical solution, because harvesting takes place over such wide areas of farmland and because most scales for weighing heavy weights are not transportable.
This invention relates to a mobile gondola assembly for receiving a harvested crop wherein the gondola assembly includes a removable tank having an open top, a tank support framework for carrying the removable tank, and means for defining a pivot axis on the tank support framework. A mobile trailer is also provided for receiving and supporting the tank support framework for rotation about the pivot axis. Means is mounted between the trailer and the tank support framework for moving the tank support framework about the pivot axis between a raised dumping position and a lowered crop receiving position. Further, means is provided for continuously measuring the weight of the harvested crop in the removable tank in the lowered crop receiving position.
In another aspect of the invention a towable gondola assembly for receiving a crop as the crop is harvested includes a thin walled crop receiving tank having an open top and a framework for supporting and holding the thin walled crop receiving tank. A trailer is configured to support the framework for movement over an underlying surface and means is disposed between the trailer and the framework for pivotally supporting the framework for movement about the pivot axis. Further, means is provided for moving the framework about the pivot axis between a raised dumping position and a lowered crop receiving position. The means for moving has one end thereof floating relative to the pivot axis. Additionally, a scale is provided for indicating the weight of the crop within the receiving tank in the lowered crop receiving position.
In yet another aspect of the invention a towable gondola assembly for collecting a crop from a crop harvester as the crop is harvested includes a lightweight thin wall crop collecting vessel having an open top and a framework for securely holding and supporting the lightweight thin wall vessel. A trailer supports the framework. Means is provided for mounting the framework on the trailer for pivoting movement about a pivot axis. Means is also provided for moving the framework about the pivot axis between an elevated crop dump position and a lowered crop collecting position. The means for moving has one end thereof floating in the crop collecting position relative to the pivot axis. Additionally, means is provided for sensing and indicating the weight of the collected crop in the lowered crop collecting position during crop collection so that known weight of harvested crop is transferred when the framework is elevated to the dump position.
The invention includes a method of collecting a harvested crop from a crop harvester wherein the steps of towing a crop collection gondola along one side of the crop harvester and pivoting a removable open top tank about a pivot axis to a lowered crop collection position are included. The step of collecting the harvested crop in the removable open top tank is performed while the tank is in the lowered collecting position. The removable open top tank is floated relative to the gondola pivot axis during crop collection and the weight of the collected crop is continuously monitored as it is deposited into the removable tank. The removable tank is then raised about the pivot axis to a raised dump position for transferring the collected crop after obtaining a predetermined weight of crop.
In another aspect of the invention a crop collection gondola assembly for receiving a crop in the field from a crop harvester includes a tank having an open top and a tank support framework for receiving the tank. Further, a mobile trailer is included for carrying the tank support framework and means is provided for moving the tank support framework between a crop collection position and a crop dumping position. The means for moving assumes a floating condition in the crop collection position. Additionally, a weight measuring means is included for providing in the field measurement of weight of received crop within the tank.
A crop collection gondola for receiving crops in the field from a crop harvester has a mobile trailer and a crop receiving tank mounted for pivotal movement on the mobile trailer. Means is provided for pivoting the crop receiving tank between a crop collection position and a crop dumping position. Weight measuring means is disposed between the mobile trailer and the crop receiving tank for providing in the field measurement of the weight of received crop in the tank.